Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Crime: be safe and keep your eyes openJohn was at today's meeting of the Roath Police Consultative Panel, and was worried to see increased figures for violent crime (up from 142 to 151 so far this year,) and burglary (up from 26 to 44) in the Splott, Tremorfa, Adamsdown and Roath, so is asking everyone to be sensible and safe.The increase in violent crime is mainly due to crimes against the person increasing from 124 to 137, although both sexual offences (11 down to 9) and robbery (down from 7 to 5) have decreased.Car crime has gone down in the area from 301 to 274, which is mainly down to a big drop in car thefts (down from 108 to 45), but there has been an increase in the number of thefts from vehicles (from 193 to 229)."It's important to realise that these figures are still quite low, and these figures are only over a three month period, so people shouldn't worry themselves unduly", said John. "But it's also important to realise that burglary and car crimes are crimes of opportunity, and there are simple steps that we can all take to help prevent them happening in the first place."As ever, Roath Police want residents to continue reporting crimes - they only way they can get more resources from South Wales Police is to prove what the true picture is here. Their advice is to use 999 for emergencies - if a crime is being committed - and 2022 2111 if you have concerns about anti-social behaviour."There is general advice about deterring crime at:http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime/preventionadvice/

Top international athletes and Olympic superheroes could soon be on their way to Cardiff after a meeting of officials from sporting clubs, organisations and associations have backed Cardiff Council in its bid to host major Olympic teams in South Wales in the lead-up to the London games in 2012.

Council Leader Rodney Berman and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Nigel Howells, led the meeting held at Cardiff’s Mansion House. Attended by representatives of many sports’ national governing bodies and the city’s professional sports teams, the meeting heard presentations describing the sporting, cultural and economic benefits associated with the games.

With over 10,000 athletes and more than 8,000 paralympians expected to compete in 2012 the combination of facilities and swift transport links to the capital makes Cardiff and South Wales an ideal base for major training camps.

Dr Terry Stevens, a leading consultant, explained that National Olympic Associations, particularly those from outside Northern Europe would be looking for a base to train and acclimatise over a period of up to four years before the games.

Councillor Howells explained that discussions will be held with other authorities in the region, including Newport and Swansea, along with the Welsh Assembly Government to ensure that any approach was a concerted “Wales” effort. “This is a unique opportunity to host one or more teams” he said, adding: “The potential for further investment in facilities, the boost to the economy and opportunity to inspire a whole generation of our young people into sport and a healthy lifestyle is too good to miss.”

The London bid team had already highlighted Cardiff as a potential centre and it has been confirmed that the Millennium Stadium will host part of the Olympic Football tournament. Cardiff Council will now complete its discussions with its partners across South Wales before beginning the process of selling the region to Olympic teams from around the world.

Work on discovering more of Cardiff Castle’s hidden history has started with archaeologists beginning their `big dig’ on the 2,000 year old site.

The first stage is excavation of the ground. The Council’s ‘Special Projects’ team will work closely with local contractor OPCO, and archaeologists employed by Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust, who will carry out most of the excavation work.

This follows the pre-construction works which began a couple of weeks ago. The contractor OPCO is based in the moat outside the Castle walls to allow the work to go ahead without disturbing the visitor experience inside the Castle. All cranes, materials, plant and construction workers must access the site over the castle walls in order to construct the building inside the grounds, alongside the South Gate.

John Edwards, Cardiff Castle Surveyor, said: “While there will always be some disruption when you have the builders in, the Castle will remain open for the full duration of the works, and at times have the added attraction of watching the archaeologists explore 2000 years of untouched history!”

Despite the heavy plant and machines being on site; it is still business as usual for the thousands of tourists who will be visiting the Castle over the summer – and beyond.

When the Interpretation Centre building is completed in 2007, it will allow the Castle for the very first time, to receive visitors under cover and present the whole 2,000 years of Cardiff Castle history using 21st century technology for visitors to enjoy.

John Edwards, added: “The new building will also be fully accessible to disabled people and will also eventually allow disabled access to the Banqueting Hall of the House, and indeed to some areas of the site that are not accessible to anybody at present. “

Cllr Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “Cardiff Castle is an international visitor attraction with half its visitors from overseas. Its importance to tourism and the economy of Wales is widely recognised. This persuaded the Wales Tourist Board to grant aid the scheme and a substantial grant aid has also been received from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards both this and the full restoration work at the Castle.

“This development will support Cardiff Castle's status as a flagship visitor attraction, which will leave visitors to Cardiff and Wales with some very positive memories.”

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Helen Street ParkA request has been made by the Adamsdown Community Project to undertake street art within the playarea of Helen Street park.The project involves painting graffiti art on a wall and some metal benches.Both the wall and the benches are already heavily graffitied including obscene graffiti.Your local Councillors, Nigel Howells and John Dixon, are supporting the project which is proposed to start on 30th August, involving local young people.

The spirit of the Caribbean will blow across Cardiff Bay this weekend with the arrival of the Trinidad Blue Devils for the Cardiff MAS Carnival – the free spectacular Caribbean-style masquerade parade that brings a cocktail of colour, costume and rhythm to the streets around the waterfront.

The howling, blue body-painted, pitchfork-wielding Blue Devils come hot from this year’s Trinidad Carnival, home to 'The Worlds Greatest Party'. They are working with South Wales Intercultural Commnunity Arts (SWICA) and Cardiff Harbour Authority to bring their demonic vision - complete with traditional chants and rhythms on metal pans to this year’s Cardiff MAS Carnival on 30 July. For weeks people in communities throughout Cardiff have been preparing the costumes and practicing the rhythms that will make the Bay jump up on Saturday night. Young people have been at workshops in MAS camp in Butetown Youth Pavilion learning how to make their own costumes for Carnival, and learning more about Carnival culture.

The theme of the MAS in Cardiff’s Centenary year is “DOCKS : Wales’ Window on the World” – a celebration through Carnival of our city’s maritime traditions and global trading links.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture Councillor Nigel Howells said: “Cardiff MAS Carnival brings a real Caribbean flavour to the Bay, and always attracts very active participation from communities in the Bay and throughout the city, who put in so much work through the year to create this wonderful Caribbean Carnival atmosphere.” Steve Fletcher – SWICA Development Officer said: “This is the 16th Cardiff MAS Carnival and will be the biggest and brightest yet as we are aiming to double the size of the parade. The best Carnival bands have been booked from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa for the main stage for the big event on Saturday”.

The parade stretches from Loudoun Square and along Bute Street, reaching Roald Dahl Plass at around 7pm – entertaining the crowds lining the street and blowing their whistles, before everyone gets the chance to ‘jump up’ in front of the big stage for the rest of the night. There will be entertainment in the Plass all day from 2pm.

The Cardiff MAS carnival is a key event in the 19th Cardiff Festival - seven sizzling weeks of great entertainment, over 57 days and nights of festive fun throughout the city and on the waterfront that make it the UK’s largest FREE outdoor festival. It is part of the Cardiff 2005 celebrations, funded by Cardiff Council and the Millennium Commission through the Urban Cultural Programme.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Youth provision discussionNigel and John hosted a meeting at County Hall today that brought together leisure, regeneration and youth service officers with representative from the Adamsdown Community Project and Princes Trust to talk through issues around services for children and teenagers in Adamsdown.Most of the discussion centred around the consultation for the future of Cemetary Gardens, and planned youth activities over the summer."This was a very positive meeting", said Nigel Howells, executive member for leisure, culture and sport. "It means we have people around one table to make sure that everyone is aware of what is happening in the area."The Council will be putting a 'pod' in Cemetary Gardens over the summer to act as a focus for a range of activities for young people. We're also looking further ahead to see how we can best use the regeneration money in West Adamsdown to improve facilities for the future."

Statement from the Cardiff Community Safety Partnership:Following the recent tragic events in London, our key partners have confirmed that strong community relationships continue to exist within Cardiff and the rest of the South Wales Police area.However, there is an understandable concern among some minority communities of a potential backlash. The message remains clear - any activity targeting minority communities or groups will not be tolerated. All reports of hate crime will be taken very seriously.Local communities can be reassured that a concerted effort is focussing on such issues in the wake of the London attacks. We would also encourage anyone to report any such activity to the police in Cardiff on 029 20 222 111.

Cardiff’s social care service is set to take a big step forward with the transfer of many of its teams to new office accommodation in Cardiff Bay. The move will be from a number of offices around the city and will bring together teams from a variety of social care disciplines. This will not only enable the service to dispose of a range of poor quality office accommodation, but will address a key criticism of 2002’s Joint Review that social care services in Cardiff are fragmented.

Cllr John Dixon, Cardiff Council’s Executive Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing, said: “This is a significant step forward in the improvement of our services, bringing a large number of our staff together in one location, with key NHS colleagues as well. This has enabled us to provide them with first class office accommodation in pleasant surroundings. It will help them to work together far better and for economies to be achieved through the centralisation of resources. And it will also mean that our workplace is fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act.”

As many as 12 buildings currently being used as offices will be released by this move, generally making major savings in maintenance costs and capital receipts.

Cardiff Excels Again In The Green Flag Award For ParksCardiff has retained the Green Flag Status for Roath Park, Victoria Park and Grange Gardens. The scheme represents the national standards for parks and green spaces across England and Wales.The Green Flag Award, managed by the Civic Trust, has now become the benchmark against which the quality of public parks and green spaces are measured. It is an independent award to give voice to public expectations about what parks should and can offer. It aims to set standards for management while promoting the value of parks and green spaces as social places for recreational activities.

The scheme was originally introduced to encourage good environmental practice, since then the criteria has slightly changed, as well as have having a sustainable approach, sites must be judged as welcoming, safe and well maintained with strong involvement by the local community.

Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said: “It is excellent to see that Cardiff’s winning three parks have all regained their status. I would like to thank the staff in Parks for their hard work all the year around to make this possible. Well done to everyone involved”

Refurbishment of Wenallt Chapel beginsThe long anticipated refurbishment of the Wenallt Chapel at Thornhill Crematorium commences this week. The work will see the Wenallt Chapel rewired, with a new electric supply and generator, windows and roof replaced, as well as refurbished and decorated at a total cost of approx. £400,000.

During the work, the smaller Briwnant Chapel, which holds approximately 60 people will provide for bereavement ceremonies.In order to meet the anticipated demand, additional service times have been scheduled, with earlier starting and later finishing times on a daily basis. In addition 5 (five) service slots are available for booking on a Saturday morning. These arrangements should therefore ensure that there is no disruption to service levels.

Cllr. Nigel Howells, the Executive Member for the service said: "The work is much needed and I am sure will be welcomed. If there is some inconvenience we apologise. However, the work has been planned to minimize any difficulties over the summer period. At its conclusion, we will have a chapel that befits our status as a capital city, providing a quality environment appropriate to remember and dignify the bereaved and their loved ones.”

The Wenallt Chapel at Thornhill Crematorium will be closed from Friday, July 22nd to Friday, September 26th 2005 for these works.For further information on arrangements then please contact Bereavement Services on 029 2062 3294.

New Facilities At Maindy Pool Opened In Partnership With Cathays High School Benefits Local Community

The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Freda Salway has opened the new facilities at Maindy Swimming Pool & Cycle Track, which have been built as a result of a ground-breaking partnership between the Pool and Cathays High School to benefit not only the children of the school, but also local residents.The work, which cost £625,000 received a Big Lottery Fund grant of £450,000 has seen the first floor at Maindy Pool transformed into a dance studio with fully sprung floor, large gym & fitness area and lecture/meeting room. The facilities will be used by the School during the day and the community at other times. In addition, a new bike storage & maintenance area has been constructed near to the cycle track.A full programme of activities is available in the new facilities with sessions for Aerobics, Circuits, Yoga, Thai Bo, Mei Kho and Nia, as well as the gym being staffed for drop in use.Cllr Nigel Howells, the Executive Member for Sport, Leisure & Culture said: “With the assistance of funding from the Big Lottery Fund, it has been possible to forge an innovative new partnership between the local High School & the Leisure facility, We have been able to fulfil a long held objective of providing these new facilities in the Cathays area. The large fully sprung floored dance studio will no doubt prove to be very popular, particularly with women and girls and the facilities will enable more people to take their 5 x 30 mins exercise every week.”For full details on the programme available in the new facilities, please contact Maindy Pool & Cycle Track on 029 2052 9230.

More Late license ApplicationsThe Council has now received late license applications from the following local pubs:The Bertram10.00 to 23.00 Monday to Wednesday10.00 to 00.00 Thursday to Saturday12.00 to 22.30 SundayIt also seeks permission for extended opening until 1 am on various nights throughout the year such as during bank holiday weekends. The Tredegar10.00 to 00.00 Monday to Thursday10.00 to 01.00 Friday and Saturday10.00 to 00.00 SundayIt also seeks permission for extended opening until 1 am on various nights throughout the year such as Bank Holidays, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Years Day, St Davids Day and St Patricks Day. The New Dock Tavern10.00 to 00.00 Monday to Thursday10.00 to 01.00 Friday and Saturday10.00 to 00.00 SundayIt also seeks permission for an additional hour into the morning on various nights throughout the year such as Bank Holiday weekends, Easter weekend, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, St Davids Day and St Patricks Day. The Locomotive10.00 to 23.00 Monday to Wednesday10.00 to 00.00 Thursday to Saturday12.00 to 22.30 SundayIt also seeks permission for an additional hour into the morning on various nights throughout the year such as Bank Holiday weekends, Easter weekend, Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. The Clifton10.00 to 00.00 Monday to Thursday10.00 to 01.00 Friday and Saturday10.00 to 00.00 SundayIt also seeks permission for an additional hour into the morning on various nights throughout the year such as Bank Holiday weekends, Easter weekend, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, St Davids Day and St Patricks Day.The Canadian11.00 to 23.30 Monday to Thursday11.00 to 01.30 Friday and Saturday12.00 to 00.00 SundayIt also seeks permission for an additional hour into the morning on various nights throughout the year such as Bank Holiday weekends, Easter weekend, Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, St Davids Day and St Patricks Day.

The Liberal Democrat Focus Team has delivered letters to all streets in the vicinity of these pubs.If you have any comments that you would like to be taken into account by the council's licensing committee before it decides whether or not to grant this application, then please send them in writing to: Malcolm Evans, Licensing Section, Regulatory Services, City Hall, Cardiff, CF10 3ND. Alternatively, you can submit comments by e-mail to: licensing@cardiff.gov.uk .

Your local Councillors would also be interested to know your views on this application so that we can make representations to the council's licensing committee on your behalf. You can write to us at the 59 Cecil Street or alternatively you can email Nigel at nigel@adamsdown.org.ukUnder new regulations, local councillors can only make representations on behalf of local residents if specifically authorised to do so. Therefore, if you are submitting an objection to the Council, please state in your objection that you authorise Councillors Nigel Howells and John Dixon to make representations on your behalf.

Roath Park - The Jewel in Cardiff's CrownSix thousand cubic meters of silt has been removed from the middle section of Roath Park Lake to ensure that the ecology of the lake continues to improve while visitors are able to enjoy the lake during the boating season.The silt has been removed using a pontoon mounted excavator and pump, then transported via 1.4km pipeline to the Councils’ local green waste compound located at Lake Road West near Eastern Avenue. The silt was then transported, using sealed HGV vehicles, to an approved supplier where it is being mixed with a variety of other soils to be reused as a top soil conditioner.The work was carried out by Land and Water plc, one of the UK’s leading companies specialising in marine based engineering, dredging and remediation projects. The project has been completed in budget and funded through the Council Capital Programme.

Nigel Howells, Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, said:” The Council takes the ecology of Roath Park Lake very seriously and this is reflected by all the work that we do there.”

He continued, “It is essential that we strike a balance between what is good for the visitors to the lake and the resident wildlife. The project was a total success, well done to all those involved.”

The following letter has been delivered to 200 houses in the vicinity of the Bertram Hotel, 110 Broadway:

Dear resident(s),

Licensing Application for extended opening hours The Bertram Hotel, 110 BroadwayAn application for a new premises licence has been submitted to the Council by the Bertram pub on Broadway. The application seeks permission for the pub to change its opening hours as follows: 10.00 to 23.00 Monday to Wednesday10.00 to 00.00 Thursday to Saturday12.00 to 22.30 SundayIt also seeks permission for extended opening until 1 am on various nights throughout the year such as during bank holiday weekends.If you have any comments that you would like to be taken into account by the council’s licensing committee before it decides whether or not to grant this application, then please send them in writing to: Malcolm Evans, Licensing Section, Regulatory Services, City Hall, Cardiff, CF10 3ND. Alternatively, you can submit comments by e-mail to: licensing@cardiff.gov.uk’ .Your local Councillors would also be interested to know your views on this application so that we can make representations to the council’s licensing committee on your behalf. You can contact us by phone as indicated below, or write to us at 59 Cecil Street, Adamsdown, Cardiff. Alternatively you can email Nigel at nigel@adamsdown.org.uk . Under new regulations, local councillors can only make representations on behalf of local residents if specifically authorised to do so. Therefore, if you are submitting an objection to the Council, please state in your objection that you authorise Councillors Nigel Howells and John Dixon to make representations on your behalf.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Lib Dems get Cardiff waste sorted outCardiff Liberal Democrats have renewed their pledge to extend free doorstep recycling collections across the city in a Council motion today. Liberal Democrats have deplored the previous Labour administration for introducing charges for green bag recycling, and for failing to increase capacity.

Cllr Elgan Morgan, Executive Member for Environment, said: "We have made great progress in expanding recycling across the city. We have started work on building a new £4 million Materials Reclamation Facility at Lamby Way which will allow us to process the recyclable waste of Cardiff.

"Labour dodged the issue for years. Their way to tackle waste was to charge people for recycling and hope the problem went away. Since we came to power we have taken steps to ensure waste minimisation and recycling.

"The charges introduced by the Labour administration led to a significant drop in residents participating in the recycling scheme. Cardiff is soon to be back on track thanks to foresight of the Lib Dem administration."

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The short term future of a Cardiff nursery has been safeguarded after the Council’s Executive decided to extend its contract.

The Council has managed the Lilliput Nursery on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government for a number of years but the contract was due to expire in October this year.

Following a request from WAG the Council’s Executive has agreed to continue operating the nursery until March next year which will give the Assembly more time to try to secure the long-term future of the nursery.

Executive Member for Social Care and Health, Cllr John Dixon said, “I am pleased the Executive was able to take this positive step to extend the contract until March next year and I am delighted we are able to provide some real, practical help."

Monday, July 18, 2005

Neighbourhood Watch meetingJohn attended a meeting held in St Germans Church Hall by police officers from Roath Police Station to encourage existing Neighbourhood Watch groups to relaunch and new ones to form in areas that don't yet have one.At the meeting a number of current issues were raised by local residents at the same time - mainly centred around local residents' concerns about a new application for a late licence made by The Tredegar.The police said they were keen to encourage groups, and would be able to supply recruitment packs to anyone wanting to help keep their area safe. If you are interested, contact Roath Police Station on 2022 2111.

New Development On BroadwayOn 20th July, the Council's Planning Committee will be considering an application to redevelop No 1 Broadway.The site is currently in use as an open van sales forecourt.The proposals are to build 14 one bedroom flats with 8 parking spaces to the rear. The development is a three/four storey building with the fourth floor incorporated into the roof space of the building. Amenity space is also identified to the rear of the building for residents. Vehicle access will be from the rear lane (from Cyril Crescent).

Thursday, July 14, 2005

John and Nigel attend civic Council meeting with Prince CharlesBoth John and Nigel were present to represent the residents of Adamsdown at the Extraordinary Council meeting today, in the presence of HRH Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. The meeting had been set to help Cardiff celebrate its Centenary as a city, and Golden Jubilee as the capital of Wales.It was the first time a Prince of Wales had addressed the Council since a meeting in 1905 which was called to celebrate the Royal Charter which conferred City status. The Prince declared that nobody could fail to be impressed by the 'energy and optimism' of Cardiff which, he said, was a reflection of a resurgent Wales. He said the anniversary provided an opportunity for Cardiff's achievements to be celebrated in 'typically exuberant style'.

'As a proud Freeman I have every confidence that the next decade will be as positive as the last one,' he said.

After the short ceremony, the couple met the organisers of the 2005 celebrations along with representatives from youth, community and arts groups.

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Cardiff’s Liberal Democrat Executive has responded with tough action to the problem of stray horses, at the Executive Business Meeting today.

Cllr Judith Woodman, Lib Dem Executive Member for Community Safety, is introducing a strengthened policy to tackle the problem which includes charging and issuing ASBOs.

Cllr Judith Woodman said: “We have taken tough and swift action. We are dealing with the problem once and for all. We will be charging owners to have their horses returned and we will issue Stage 1 ASBO letter to persistent offenders.

“We have taken on board the recommendations made in June by the environmental scrutiny committee. We are now acting upon it. There will be special operations to impound horses left to roam and who are a danger to residents and motorists. The charging will recover the costs incurred by the Council in these operations.

“We cannot tolerate stray horses endangering lives. This is why we have taken this action to strengthened the policy on stray horses."